


Hit and Run

by Viridianleaf



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Permanent Injury, Slash, hit and run, self blame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-08-29 12:16:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8489326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viridianleaf/pseuds/Viridianleaf
Summary: In the wake of a major incident where Yuuri Katsuki is the victim of a hit and run, how will he and his coach, Victor Nikiforov, deal with the consequences...





	1. The Hit and Run

Victor knew the instant something was wrong.

Yuuri had been laughing and grinning with him just a moment prior, but as soon as his eyes flicked to the left, his face paled significantly.

It took a moment for Victor to process just what was happening, as Yuuri sprinted to him, arms outstretched. Victor knew that something was amiss from the pure horror on Yuuri’s face, so he glanced in the same direction that Yuuri had looked just seconds before.

A truck. It was a truck, barreling at speeds that should be illegal in this part of Hasetsu. And it was only four yards, no thre-

And Yuuri had reached him, pushed him onto his back. 

Out of the truck’s way.

And Yuuri had let out a shrill scream that shook Victor to his core. The scream wasn’t continuous. No, It was worse. 

It stuttered and stopped, beginning and ending, each agonizing scream tearing itself from Yuuri’s throat as each row of wheels crushed him. Crushed his leg. Left him lying there on the asphalt, legs splayed at angles too unnatural for the human body to mimic; even the most flexible of gymnasts wouldn’t be able to achieve it.

Yuri’s mangled legs sickened Victor to the core.

And Victor couldn’t do anything. Nothing.

And then the truck had zoomed off as if nothing had happened. Victor had only just enough sense to snap a picture of the truck’s license plate.

Victor then turned his attention to Yuuri, who was worryingly quiet. Yuuri was trembling, and his tears flowed freely. Victor himself felt tears burning at the edge of his eyes, blurring his vision. 

“Y-Yuuri…,” Victor called out as he crawled towards the other figure skater.

The aforementioned brunet shifted a little before his face scrunched up in pain. 

“Vi-Victor…,” Yuuri had whispered back, voice tinged with considerable pain, “Are.. y-ou o-okay…?”

Victor’s eyes widened as he processed his student’s words. “You… Yuuri, y-you’re the one who’s hurt!” Why are you worried about me?

The silver haired man managed to somehow drag himself to Yuuri’s side in spite of the tears that were distorting his vision. Victor then carefully cradled Yuuri in his arms, making sure not to jostle and further injure the younger man’s legs.

“But V-ictor, you’re… crying,” Yuuri pointed out with a shaky voice. The brunet brought his left arm up, and with trembling fingers, gently wiped away the older man’s tears.

“Yuuri, you’re c-crying too, you know…”

It was at this moment that Victor realized that Yuuri wasn’t wearing his glasses. They must have fallen off during the-

The impact.

Victor stiffened as he looked down at his student.

“Nngh, V-victor…?”

Victor currently had his eyes trained on Yuuri’s legs and knew that this didn’t bode well for his student’s future. Yuuri’s legs were definitely broken, and Victor noted with dread that he could see white bone sticking through some of the broken skin. He could see torn muscle, and _My God_ , Victor thought, _there’s so much blood_.

So. Much. Blood. Crimson rivulets flowed almost freely, stopping where they met frayed fabric and made blooms of deep red at the edges. Victor could smell the distinct tang of blood, and with a churning stomach, the scent of burned skin and tar from the road rash. 

This… wasn’t good. 

Yuuri’s eyes were starting to droop, and if Victor knew one thing about serious injuries, that thing would be to keep the injured person awake until help arrived. Especially since Victor knew that an injury of this magnitude was way out of his league to treat, or even to diagnose. 

Victor was not a doctor. He was a figure skater for fuck sake.

Never has he regretted more not taking the time to attend classes to get a first aid certification.

He was way out of his depth.

“Yuuri? Yuuri, stay with me! Stay awake, you can’t sleep in this condition.”

“Mm…?” With a small voice, Yuuri whispered, “I’m… tired Victor. Think I lost…t’much blood. Hurts…”

“Yuuri, I’m sorry. This- this is all my fault! If only, if only I hadn’t gotten the bright idea to-”

Yuuri let out a pained chuckle, “Vic… tor. Really, i-it’s not. Not your f-ault.”

_But… it really is. I’m sorry, so, so sorry_.

It was then that Victor saw that his tears had landed on his student’s face. Using his right arm, he wiped his face on his sleeve and started to hiccup and sob a little as the sheer reality and unfairness of the moment started to hit him in earnest.

_I never thought- no. I never wanted this to happen_.

His student had smiled. It was a pained, strained smile which looked faintly like a grimace, but was, nonetheless, a smile. 

“H-hey, V’c… tor, d-don’t cry. N-not o’er me… Mm… y’know… should prolly c’ll the a-ambula-nce.”

“I- yes. I’ll, I’ll call the ambulance.” Victor shakily dialed the number for emergency services and waited for someone to pick up.

It took a few rings; 3? 4? Victor didn’t know, but he was able to reach someone.

“Hello,” a voice answered, “this is emergency services. How can I help you?”

Victor swallowed and wiped his eyes again, willing himself to stay strong, strong for Yuuri, who needed his help. “Hello, my friend is h-hurt really badly. He’s in bad shape. Fro-from a hit and run.”

“Can you tell me where you are? And what is your name?”

“I’m Victor. Yuuri and I are in Hasetsu…” Victor proceeded to tell the operator the vital information needed to get there, but with some difficulties. He had started sobbing again as he told the operator about how badly his student, his beloved Yuuri, was injured.

“The ambulance should arrive within the next fifteen minutes. Keep him awake to the best of your ability and make sure Yuuri doesn’t move, lest he injures himself even more. Do you need me to stay with you on the phone?”

“N-no… It’s fine. I don’t want to hold you up any longer than need be. Thank you.”

“Alright,” the telephone operator calmly spoke and then ended the call.

“Yuuri,” the silver haired man addressed his student in a seemingly steady voice, even though tears still streamed down his face, “I need to keep you awake. Can… can you do that for me? At least until help arrives? Let’s… I’ll ask you questions, and you have to answer. Truthfully, yes?”

The younger man nodded with difficulty and managed to choke out an answer. “I… sure. I’ll t-try my b-est…”

“Yuuri, tell me, other than katsudon, what is your favorite food?”

“Th-at’s k-kind of a ‘ard one… mm… mom’s omurice… I th-think. V’ctor… why… why d’you d-drop ev’rythin’ to co-coach me…?”

“Did I not tell you before?” Victor wiped his face on his already soggy sleeve, “when, when I saw your video… you moved so beautifully, as if your body was creating music. I saw your potential and knew that you just needed a nudge in the right direction to show the world what you’re capable of.”

Even through the pain, Yuuri smiled brightly, eyes crinkling. “Th-ank you, V’c…tor.”

Victor huffed a bit, shaking his head. That was a wrong move, the silver haired figure skater realized as he got an eyeful of his student’s lower body. He then froze as the tears started flowing down his face again.

“Yuuri, you don’t deserve this. I’m so sorry. It should have been me. Had I not dragged us out to go to the rink so late at night, and if I was just paying just a bit more attention to my surroundings, you… you wouldn’t have to go through this pain. You wouldn’t be hurt, had it not been for me!”

Yuuri’s eyes has steadily drooped until they were completely closed as he whispered the sentence, “I’m… tell-ing you… not y’r fault. Mm… ‘m t’red…”

As the younger skater’s eyes closed, Victor’s eyes widened. He then shook Yuuri’s shoulders and yelled out his student’s name. 

“Yuuri! Yuuri, stay awake! No, don’t die! You can’t die. Please. I- I love you.” 

After Victor confessed, he just stopped. He stopped shaking his student’s body, and simply let the tears run down his face freely. Yuuri didn’t wake up, even from Victor’s vigorous shaking of the younger skater’s shoulders. Victor had also stopped because he realized that shaking his student so roughly would disturb his already severely injured legs.

Victor brought his head down to Yuuri’s chest and sobbed, but felt a heartbeat against his ear. It was slow, and faint, but still there. His beloved Yuuri was still alive, just for now.

Sirens blared in the distance and Victor prayed to whatever god was out there and knew, or rather hoped, that whatever happened, his student would live. That was the only thing that mattered.


	2. Hospital Stay (1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for updating so late! I've been very busy ahaha~

Victor slowly came into awareness, rising towards consciousness slowly, but surely.

“…sorry… couldn’t… save… too severe…”

The figure skater’s brows furrowed, as he tested those words out in his mind.

_Couldn’t… save? …who…?_

With a jumble of images flashing through Victor’s mind, he thought of only one thing.

_Yuuri!_

His eyes snapped open to see an old woman with tears dripping down her weathered and wrinkled face along with a doctor who seemed to be about Victor’s own age.

The figure skater sat up in his seat and noticed that he was sitting on one of those generic plastic chairs one could find anywhere in a hospital waiting room. The walls were an almost blindingly white color, brightened up by cheerful flowers in a vase and a few paintings of landscapes.

Victor had to blink for a few moments to get his vision adjusted to the bright lights.

He sat up in his chair and sighed. False alarm.

Bringing up his hands to his face, Victor rubbed at his eyes to get rid of the crustiness he felt. He grimaced since he knew he looked less than perfect in yesterday’s rumpled clothing.

But first. Yuuri.

Yuuri’s well being was worth more than his vanity.

Victor eavesdropped on the conversation between the doctor and the old woman and politely waited for it to end. He wanted to ask about Yuuri’s condition, and surely, this person would know something.

——————

Yuuri was, against all odds, awake and aware despite having gone through major surgery just hours prior.

Yuuri took stock of the room he was in. There really wasn’t much to say, other than the fact that the walls were a blindingly bright white and that there was a tv that was currently turned off. His glasses were on top of the table beside the hospital bed, though the frames and the glass were scratched up. _How unfortunate…_

The brunet felt numb, though it wasn’t entirely due to the morphine or some other pain reliever the doctors had administered. His mind felt fuzzy at the edges, but otherwise he had full use of his mental faculties.

And that meant that he _knew_ that his actions the night prior could potentially end his career.

He continued to lay on the bed, though he had no choice in the matter. After all, both of his legs were thoroughly wrapped in casts, as well as supported by leg braces.

Yuuri felt twinges of pain throughout his body, as well as a soreness that settled deep into his muscles and bones, but he felt that the pain was manageable enough so he didn’t feel the need to press the call button in order to request medical assistance from a nurse or doctor.

He was… fine.

Some part of Yuuri knew that this numb feeling was due to shock, and that he would eventually process the situation fully. The 23 year old knew that once the cruel reality set in, he would break down and cry.

But right now, he was fine. He was stable.

He had prevented Victor from being the one who got injured.

And that was good.

He could almost convince himself that this was only a setback. Deep down, however, Yuuri knew that his chance at obtaining gold at the Grand Prix Final was lost forever.

He’d known for quite a while that this season would be his last. His body simply would not have held out for much longer.

Sure, Victor was doing well for himself at 27, but even Yuuri could tell that Victor, as legendary and talented as he is, was no stranger to the ravages of time.

Yuuri sighed.

All things must come to an end. There was no exception to this harsh and universal truth.

Yuuri looked up at the blank ceiling and wished for sleep to take him.

——————

The next time Yuuri woke up, there was an inexplicable knot of dread that made its home in the pit of his stomach.

The figure skater could also feel the warm weight of someone else’s hand on his own.

_Victor…?_

Yuuri slowly opened his eyes, careful to let them adjust to fluorescent lighting.

“Y-Yuuri! You’re awake! How, how are you feeling? Are you okay?”

With a look to his right, the 23 year old confirmed that it was indeed Victor who was clutching his hand.

“Hey…” Yuuri hoarsely whispered as he slowly sat upright, albeit with his coach’s help, “Victor, can you fetch me some water?”

Almost immediately, Yuuri found himself staring at a decently sized paper cup. Victor came closer, gently grasping the back of Yuuri’s neck and guiding the cup to the younger man’s lips.

Yuuri let the water wet his lips and tongue before he gulped down the water slowly, so as to not trigger his gag reflex.

“Thank you, Victor.”

Victor took away the cup and set it on the table before he took Yuuri’s right hand in his own and rubbed soothing circles onto it with his thumb.

“Yuuri, I’m so sorry that this happened. I… I never meant for our outing to turn out like this,” Victor murmured, looking away from his student’s face. The champion figure skater had focused his gaze down at Yuuri’s hand in his own instead.

Yuuri decided to act stronger than he actually felt, because for once Victor was the one on the verge of collapse. Although Yuuri did feel discontent swirling away in his chest, he could push those feelings down and let the numbness that came with the shock take over.

It was better to bottle up his impending meltdown for another time when he would be alone and Victor would not be able to see him in that state. Victor didn’t need to know his inner turmoils.

_I don’t… want to burden him with my troubles… when he obviously already has a lot on his plate…_

So Yuuri smiled. It wasn’t a big smile, rather, it was one of those kind and comforting ones that he was certain would not betray his inner troubles.


	3. Hospital Stay (2)

Yuuri plastered his most serene expression onto his face and hoped that Victor wouldn’t be able to call his bluff.

“Victor, it’s not your fault. Seriously. I’m fine right now, so you don’t have to worry.”

Just looking at Victor’s expression, Yuuri knew that while Victor didn’t notice his fibbing, he wasn’t at all comforted by Yuuri’s words. In fact, he looked even more upset than before.

Victor’s brows were drawn together above his narrowed eyes and his lips were pursed together. Yuuri could tell that Victor was also biting the inside of his lip.

The knot in Yuuri’s stomach hadn’t gone away, but it didn’t get worse.

It was exactly the type of feeling in which Yuuri knew that for the foreseeable future, things could only go wrong.

But Yuuri was strong. He had to believe that he was strong enough, despite his mental weakness.

The 23 year old could only sit up on the hospital bed and control his upper body. Yuuri’s arms, though they were covered in ointments and plasters due to the road rash, weren’t badly hurt so the doctors had apparently decided that those injuries were minor enough for him to not require wearing a cast.

So, because his arm’s range of movement wasn’t impaired, save for the fact that he had to be careful not to strain his injuries, Yuuri decided that he needed to offer his coach some physical assurance that he was okay.

Yuuri wasn’t one for physical displays of affection before Victor came along, but he understood that Victor was the one who needed to be comforted right now.

With his left hand, the one that his mentor was not rubbing soothing circles onto, Yuuri reached out to cup Victor’s cheek.

“Hey. I know it’s tough, but I was the one who made the decision to push you out of the way. I don’t regret saving you at all.”

Something in Victor’s face made his heart break.

Somehow his words had the opposite effect of what he wanted.

Yuuri knew he fucked up.

And it probably showed on his face, since Victor’s expression shifted from conflicted and upset to fake and happy.

“Victor,” Yuuri frowned in disapproval. Yuuri had never liked it when his coach put up masks in front of him.

In response to Yuuri’s disapproving tone of voice, Victor dropped his smile and his concerned expression, characterized by his furrowed brows and frown, returned.

“There, that’s better. You know how much I dislike your fake smiles. I’ve told you already that you just have to be yourself around me.”

Victor let out a shaky breath, saying, “Yuuri, you’re too kind. Too self sacrificing. I know you’re in pain right now.”

“Well, I’m fine. The pain medication really helps with that. I’m just glad that you aren’t hurt.”

_It’s… well, better this way._

Victor sighed in response but gripped Yuuri’s right hand more tightly.

_I… well. Why is it that he’s more upset than I am? I mean, I’m the one who’s injured._

“Yuuri,” Victor murmured softly, “I’m… thankful for what you’ve done for me, but… I wish that you didn’t have to sacrifice your well-being for my sake.”

——————

A few minutes after Yuuri’s coach had left to freshen himself up, a middle aged doctor had shuffled in with his hands shoved into his coat pockets.

“Mr. Katsuki… I am your primary care physician, Wataru Suzuki. My brother was the surgeon who was in charge of your operation. To differentiate us… feel free to call me Dr. Wataru.”

Yuuri inclined his head in greeting.

“Mr. Katsuki, I… have to tell you some things. Do you want the good news first? Or the bad news?” The doctor had shifted his weight onto his other foot and fidgeted a bit, as if uncomfortable with the situation.

Yuuri sat up and answered. ”I guess… the bad news first?”

The doctor nodded, “Well, Mr. Katsuki, you are an athlete, correct?”

The 23 year old answered in the affirmative. “Yes, I’m a figure skater, why?”

”It is rather unfortunate, then, that this accident… well, how can I put this delicately?”

Yuuri politely stared at the doctor, plastering a pleasant smile on his face.

“Oh, to hell with it! I was never good at being tactful. You won’t ever be able to skate competitively ever again. Your legs simply wouldn’t be able to handle the strain. The good news is that you’ll be able to lead a normal life. Since your nerves were miraculously unharmed, you’ll be able to walk again.”

Yuuri only heard the bad news, face frozen with a decidedly fake smile.

_I… won’t be able to skate competitively?_

_What… what about Rostelecom cup!?_

_For that matter, what about my career?_

_And… and Victor!?_

_I’m now… I knew it. Oh Kami-sama, I’m useless. Moreso than I’d thought before. I thought that this incident would only prevent me from participating this season. Now… now… I can’t. I can’t skate again._

_This can’t be happening!_

Yuuri hunched forwards and clutched his head. He gripped his hair and pulled. He was crying. His vision was already blurry, but the tears that had dripped down made his vision even more distorted.

“suki… Mr. Ka… Mr. Katsuki!”

The doctor had reached out to place a hand on his shoulder, but Yuuri jerked back.

“I-I! I’m sorry! Doctor, I-”

“No, no! It’s, it’s fine! It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have, uh, I should have tried to broach such a delicate topic with more discretion.”

He didn’t know how long this fit had lasted, but it felt like he’d been drowning for at least thirty minutes. He knew logically that it couldn’t have lasted longer than a minute or two, because otherwise the doctor would have called a nurse for assistance and sedated him. It would have lasted longer, had Dr. Wataru not interrupted him.

Yuuri brought up his arm to wipe away the wetness on his face, though the fact that his hospital gown didn’t have long sleeves made sure that there wasn’t enough fabric to soak up the results of his impromptu break down.

The 23 year old had a feeling that this incident wouldn’t be the last.

“I also shouldn’t have reacted that way. I… It’s just a major shock. Could you… could you repeat the good news? I’m afraid I only caught the bad news.”

The doctor blinked and then nodded, bringing his hand to his head to ruffle his hair. It seemed like a nervous tic, Yuuri noted silently.

“Sure… well. You feel your toes, right?”

The figure skate, or ex-figure skater to be exact, was able to wiggle his big toe, however painful the motion felt.

Wincing a bit, Yuuri nodded cautiously. “Yes, why?”

“That’s a good sign, since it means that you aren’t paralyzed. There is a very good chance that you’ll be able to walk again with plenty of physiotherapy. You won’t be able to handle rigorous exercise anymore, but you’ll be able to lead a normal life.”

“I… fine. I-I’ll take what I can get,“ Yuuri shakily said.

_Walking, huh… I guess that’s better than nothing. Victor certainly won’t be pleased, but, well, what can I do?_

“And no skating competitively, you said?,” Yuuri continued, “Does that mean I can still skate…?”

The doctor let out a groan, displaying his discomfort.

“I don’t want to give you any ideas… A year. At least one year before you’re cleared for normal activities. I’m assuming that figure skating is a demanding sport like all of the other ones, so I wouldn’t recommend taking it up again lest you hurt yourself even more. In fact, I’d prefer it if I didn’t tell you but then you’d look up faulty and misleading information online… I’d say a year. Yeah… a year and a half perhaps if you wanted to just skate. Jumps are out of the question. In fact, they’re too dangerous. Even after you’re fully healed, I wouldn’t recommend it.”

A year and a half? I… guess that’s alright. I mean, I think I can live with this. But… no jumps, huh. I’m more well known for my spins and step sequences, so-

Dr. Wataru leveled a reproaching stare at the younger man.

“I know what you’re thinking Mr. Katsuki. You’re thinking something along the lines of say, ‘Oh, I can work with this. I can skate.’ But the truth is, you can’t. Not at the level you are used to. With your legs in this state, I’m afraid that you’ll be restricted to the level of an amateur. Not even that, you’d be limited to a beginner’s skill set. And with someone of your level, you'd all too easily be tempted into attempting something your body can’t handle. To be frank, I’m telling you to give up.”

“I…”

The doctor flinched as he looked at his patient’s face. Yuuri was crying again.

“I’m sorry! Oh god, I’m so sorry. My brother usually breaks the news to patients even though he’s a surgeon because I mean I don’t have tact at all! I didn’t mean to be that harsh but like, you were thinking things that needed to be shot down so I sorta had to but I know I could have phrased that better so-“

“I-It’s fine. I’m, I’m okay. If… if I may ask… and this is unrelated to my injuries… since I pushed Victor away from the vehicle that hit me… what… what would have happened to him if I hadn’t…”

“If you hadn’t taken the blow for yourself? I can’t say for sure… but judging from what I know concerning what your injuries told my brother and I, I have reason to believe that the man you’d pushed out of the way, Victor I assume his name is, would have perished.”

“P-perished!? You mean he would have died, had I not…!”

The doctor nodded in response.

“Then… then I suppose this is for the best. We shouldn’t tell Victor. He’d… well, he’d take this news badly.”

“I’d take what badly?”

The door to the room opened, revealing Victor in fresh clothing. He looked like a movie star in his brown trench coat and olivine colored shirt. He also wore jeans and sneakers, as well as a red scarf which surprisingly didn’t clash with his shirt.

_Then again_ , Yuuri mused, _Victor looks good in anything._

“Ah, Victor! You’re back, and so quickly at that! I think you’ve only been gone for 30 minutes?”

But Victor had frowned. He looked upset.

_Ah. I’m still crying._

Yuuri then proceeded to wipe away his tears with the back of his hand. “It’s nothing Victor. I’m fine.”

“But you aren’t,” Victor murmured as he approached Yuuri’s right side.

With the pad of his thumb, Victor gently wiped the remaining tears away.

Dr. Wataru coughed into his fist, as if to remind them that he was also present in the room.

“Ah, sorry doctor,” Yuuri apologized. Victor was laying it heavy on the PDA, especially after the China Cup. They hadn’t quite discussed their status to each other just yet, but Yuuri knew that what they had was more than just professional.

However, what with this new turn of events… Yuuri knew that he’d only end up inconveniencing his… coach. He was holding Victor back before, and even more so now that he couldn’t skate this season.

_Perhaps… it’s time to let go?_


	4. Hospital Stay (3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Life got in the way of me updating... I'm planning on updating this fic once a month, so expect the next chapter sometime in May~

Dr. Wataru entered the room Yuuri stayed in with another man, whom Yuuri believed to be his brother judging by how they looked so similar to each other.

Both men had short chestnut brown hair and eyes and were equal in height. Perhaps around the 6 foot mark? Dr. Wataru had his bangs swept to the right while the other man had his hair slicked back.

"Hello Mr. Katsuki, I am Akira Suzuki, and I was the head surgeon of the team that operated on your leg. I apologize for what my idiot brother may have said to you. Hopefully I can give you a better understanding of your injuries."

Yuuri nodded in reponse. "Thank you doctor. Dr. Wataru already told me about how I’m in no condition to continue my career as a figure skater."

And that fact hurt. A lot.

It wasn't fair.

"That... is correct. At least for now."

"For now?"

"We'll have to see how well your legs heal before deciding on how severe this injury will affect your quality of life. My brother tells me that you still feel pain in your toes, so you will probably be able to walk again provided you undergo intensive physical therapy. As for continuing with your career... that remains to be seen, considering that the incident with the truck has practically shattered the bones in your legs. Right now, stainless steel is being used to hold your legs together so that your own body's natural healing processes will be maximized. Unfortunately, a lot bone shards had to be removed, so it might take a while to heal. To play it safe, I recommend keeping you on bed rest for at least 12 weeks."

"That's... 3 months, isn't it," Yuuri sighed in disappointment, "I'm definitely not skating this season then..."

_This... was supposed to my last season wasn't it? My last chance to redeem myself... gone._

Both of the doctors nodded in confirmation.

Dr. Akira then spoke up again, "Mr. Katsuki, I don't recommend trying any jumps anytime soon, even after you're done with going to physical therapy. It's... risky. Especially after looking at the X-Rays, I would have to recommend that you stay away from even regular skating for at least a year. But even then, judging by the amount of bone I had to remove, all jumps will have to be forbidden from your repertoire for the forseeable future."

"I... see," Yuuri responded glumly.

It was a better prognosis than the one Dr. Wataru had given him, but it still hurt.

This was... grounds for a career ending injury, considering the fact that he was approaching the older end of the spectrum in regards to competitive figure skating. And, ever since the disaster that was the last Grand Prix Final, he had been thinking of announcing his retirement.

“So, this is the end of the road for me, isn’t it?” Yuuri whispered, voice wavering.

Dr. Akira hummed in response, saying, “I don’t know much about figure skating, other than the fact it’s a sport. I wouldn’t know about the specifics, but you’re definitely out for the rest of the year. It remains to be seen whether or not you can make a full recovery. After all, things can go wrong at any time.”

“I’m getting old, you know?”

“O-old!?” Dr. Wataru exclaimed, “But, y-you’re so young! Only… only 23?”

“Old in terms of figure skating,” Yuuri softly spoke, “Most competitive male figure skaters retire when they’re about my age. I mean, there’s only a handful of figure skaters at my level that are around my age or older. I think… I’ve already reached my peak. My performance at the Grand Prix Final last year… well, there was a lot left to be desired.”

“I… I see.”

“It’s fine. I just need to reevaluate what I’m going to do in the future, especially since no one would want me as their coach. I need to consider all possible paths I can take, especially since I did graduate college with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. I could take part in the upkeep of my family’s onsen, but my sister is already set to inherit it.”

Dr. Akira nodded, “I see… well, you do have a couple of months to decide on what your next action will be. Take your time and think about it carefully. After all, there’s no rush to make a decision.”

“In any case,” Dr. Wataru added, “you should spend some time with your loved ones. From what other patients have told me, open communication lines have helped them with dealing with their own debilitating injuries. The worst thing you can do is isolating yourself from those who care about you; being alone with your thoughts can be detrimental to your recovery.”

Yuuri nods to let the doctors know that he heard them, but knew from his own track record that open lines of communication were as likely as a snowball’s chance in hell.

Well… he’d… try at the very least.

——————

Yuuri still feels the unease swirling in the pit of his stomach, and it reminds him of all of the precursors he’s felt before any major meltdown he’s had due to his crippling anxiety.

He knows he’s slipping into depression even though he knows he shouldn’t. But he has a pretty damn good excuse. He’s a cripple.

A cripple. A disabled, washed up athlete with little to his name.

At least he’ll be able to help his family out with the onsen once he regains his mobility.

Yuuri logically knows that there’s nothing that can be done about his current situation and that he should announce his withdrawal from this current figure skating season, as well as his forced retirement.

But… he doesn't want to give up.

He’s worked so hard for this opportunity to skate on the international stage.

And… all of his blood, sweat, and tears had been wasted in a matter of seconds.

The… ex-figure skater couldn’t bring himself to regret the decision that he made, however, since, surely, Victor’s life held precedence over his career… right?

——————

Victor exhaled as he sat down on a bench in the hospital’s designated waiting room.

He’d just returned to the hospital after stopping by Yutopia in order to better inform the Katsukis about what had happened to their son.

Since only three people at a time could visit at a time, Victor had chosen to stay in the waiting room while Yuuri’s parents and sister had gone to see Yuuri in the room he was staying in while he recovered.

Victor had already made the arrangements to pay for Yuuri’s hospital fees at the hospital’s administrative office.

It was the least he could do, especially since the incident was his fault. After all, it was Victor who had coaxed his student into going outside that night. It was he who was supposed to be the original victim of the truck. Yuuri had pushed him out of the way, but at what cost?

Yuuri’s legs were crushed by the truck and it was all Victor’s fault.

Now, Victor knew there was no chance for Yuuri to continue the season. The next season, maybe? There was always that possibility and he wanted to be positive. Because the alternative meant that Yuuri was retiring. And that it was his fault for being inattentive.

It was Victor’s fault.

Victor knew it was his fault.

It was then that Victor decided to take it upon himself to atone for his inattention by taking care of his student. Yuuri needed him, and Victor didn’t care that others would say that it was a waste of time and effort. That his decision to coach Yuuri was a fruitless venture.

He just needed to be there for his student.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Please don't hate me for hurting the fandom's cinnamon roll. Uh... so yeah. This is unbeta'd, so feel free to point out any grammatical mistakes that don't seem to be done on purpose.
> 
> You guys can find me on tumblr at http://katsudonyuuri.tumblr.com  
> Feel free to chat with me about yuri on ice!


End file.
